


Bloodbound

by ArcaneGlitch (TheWolfParadox)



Series: Chasing Fate [4]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Chasing Fate, Destiny, Fantasy, Friendship, Gen, Hunters, Identity Reveal, Mystery, Science Fiction, Sort Of, Titans, Warlocks, fireteam, still not entirely sure i can tag this as identity reveal but im doing it anyway, the Chasers, this fic has Big Awkward Energy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-09-28 18:02:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20430137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWolfParadox/pseuds/ArcaneGlitch
Summary: When Jade finds a mysterious letter adrift in the Cosmodrome, she's determined to puzzle it out. But as the mystery unfolds, it reveals a truth more world-shattering than anyone expected.





	1. Letter

Raising her arms above her head, Jade stretched out her back before sitting down on a rock with a sigh. It was quiet in the Cosmodrome. Quiet enough for her to pick up the soft sound of the wind whistling over the icy landscape. Everything seemed more peaceful at night with the dilapidated shipyard blanketed in darkness. It was clear too. As Jade tilted her head back, she could make out the many stars that dotted the night sky, and the Moon shone so silver-bright that for a moment she almost forgot it was infested with Hive. She yawned.

"Ready to leave?" asked Delta. Jade shrugged. "You've been here since dawn." The Ghost's tone was reproachful. "Guardians _do_ need sleep, you know."

Jade nodded. "I know." She rose. "Just one more piece."

"Very well… Behind the rock six meters to your left."

Jade walked in the direction indicated, moving around the rock. The sprig of spinmetal was barely a foot tall, growing in the sparse shelter the rock provided. Delta appeared at her side and she watched as her Ghost stored the spinmetal away. "Thanks, Delta."

"No problem. I'm still not completely sure why you wanted so much, though."

"I told you, I'm conducting a study on how the environments of different planets affect the lifeforms that inhabit them."

"Hmm. Well, you never got anything from the Moon."

"There's nothing growing on the Moon. But I do have spirit bloom from Venus and spinmetal from Earth."

"If I may, why are you excluding animals from your study?"

"Too difficult to manage. Plants are easier."

"Well, _you're_ the scientist."

Jade nodded and turned to leave when something caught her eye. Wedged in between the rock and the place where the spinmetal had been was a thin pale sheet of something, fluttering in the wind. Jade bent down to pick it up, falling prey to curiosity. But what she'd thought was a new discovery only appeared to be a piece of paper, yellowed and worn. She turned it over and was surprised to discover writing on the other side. The excitement at a potential puzzle coiled inside her. But just as she was about to begin deciphering it, a screech echoed across the barren terrain, pulling her attention away from the paper.

"A Fallen patrol!" warned Delta, "We should get out of here."

In an instant, Jade found herself back in her ship. She folded the paper carefully, tucking it into her belt before she set a course for the Tower. After she docked, she and Delta exited the Hangar to find the plaza empty. "Wow. I guess even the vendors don't stand out all night."

"Nope," said Delta, "...Where are you going?"

"To my room. I don't really feel like eating anything."

Jade made her way through the Tower and up the stairs to her level. Taking care not to wake any of her teammates, she tiptoed down to her door. Upon entering, she set her helmet down on the coffee table and crossed over to her desk where she sat down in her swivel chair. After turning on her lamp, she reached into her belt and withdrew the mysterious paper, smoothing it out on the desk's surface. She sighed. The paper had not fared very well in the harsh climate of the Cosmodrome. It was water stained and weather-worn which made it incredibly difficult to read. She dragged her enlarging glass closer, bending the arm down so it hovered above the page. _Much better._ The paper appeared to be the fragment of a letter. The handwriting was a messy slanting scrawl that appeared as though it had been written either very hastily, or with no regard for neatness. Jade suspected it was a bit of both. Of the letter, only one section at the top was legible, the rest lost to stains and rips.

"What does it say?" asked Delta curiously, hovering closer.

Jade cleared her throat. "I can read the first part. Past that, I can only make out a few scattered words... '_Here's the skinny, Ace...never trust the Awoken. The Reef type. The ones back on Earth, they're ok. But if you ever find yourself washed up in the Reef, keep your distance... They play by a whole other set of rules, like they want to be untrusted. And whatever you do, do not stare into their eyes'_..." Jade sighed. "That's...all I was able to make sense of."

"What could it mean?"

Jade shrugged, deep in thought. "...It's clearly advice of some kind," she said finally.

Delta nodded. "Well, we know it was written after the Collapse." Jade shot the Ghost a questioning look. "It mentioned the Awoken. They were created during the Collapse, so it can't be from the Golden Age."

Jade nodded, suddenly feeling stupid. _Of course! I should have known that!_ "Who do you think wrote it?"

Delta shrugged. "That's beside me... There might be clues in the writing, but I'm no expert in graphology."

Jade sighed. "Neither am I..." She studied the letter.

"It's informal language," said Delta, "That much is clear."

"Hmm… I feel like it was written by a guy, too."

Delta looked at the paper. "There's no way to tell for sure, but it does resemble a man's handwriting."

"It also sounds more like the way guys talk," said Jade, "Rogue, Harley, Cayde, Fyr… They all talk similarly. I mean, Rae talks like that too, but I think it's much more probable that a guy wrote this."

"...I see where you're coming from. Guys tend to use less descriptive adjectives. I think we can also assume he knew the person well."

Jade nodded. "It's very...familiar. A friend maybe. Or a sibling. Another guy, I'm guessing. I've heard Ace used more as a guy's nickname than a girl's."

She didn't say it, but she was thinking of Harley. He was the 'Ace' she was most familiar with. She briefly entertained the idea that the letter was addressed to him, but pushed it aside. The odds were extremely unlikely. _It's probably just a coincidence. It's not like Harley's the only Ace in the universe. There were definitely other guys named Ace I knew during the Golden Age._ But she couldn't stop wondering if there was a possibility that the letter _was_ meant for Harley.

The next day had her busy patrolling the Wall with Kaedro. There may not be many Guardians at the Tower, but Bazzle maintained that the Wall should be covered at least once a week to check for any possible breaches.

"There are seven of us here," he'd reminded them, "Two of us can be spared for this."

This meant nothing to Rogue and Kaedro, both of which had been helping before. Jade and Harley had also consented. The only problem had been Fyr, who'd insisted that their time was better spent on 'killing aliens.' He'd come around in the end, lured by the promise of Spicy Ramen. As Jade picked at her food, she thought back to the strange letter she'd found the day before. _There has to be _some _way to find out who wrote it._

"Something wrong?"

Jade looked up. Kaedro was watching her from across the table. "It's fine. I just have a lot on my mind."

Kaedro nodded. "Classic Warlock… So what is it this time?"

Jade sighed. "I was in the Cosmodrome yesterday collecting spinmetal when I found this...strange letter."

Kaedro looked interested. "A letter?" Jade nodded. "Do you have it with you?" She nodded again, withdrawing the letter and handing it to him. He set down his fork to read it. "Huh."

"What do you think?" Jade felt anxious as she awaited his reply and then wondered why she felt so strongly about the letter.

"Well this is gonna sound plenty stupid but when I read the name 'Ace,' my mind instantly jumped to...y'know, _Ace_."

"Yeah. I did the same thing. But there are probably a lot of people named 'Ace.'"

"Yeah… That's not the weirdest part, though."

"What?" What else in the letter could be weirder than it being addressed to someone who shared the same name as one of their friends?

"I feel like I've seen this handwriting before."

"What do you mean?"

"Not sure. I just have this feeling… It looks really familiar, like I know whoever wrote it..." He passed the letter back to her. "Does that make any sense?"

Jade studied the handwriting again. "Well, it's not entirely _impossible_."

"I guess... Why're you so interested in it anyway?"

"I don't know. I suppose I just really want to solve it… Find out who wrote it, who it's meant for."

Kaedro nodded and picked up his fork again. "Well let me know if you get anywhere."

That night, Jade lay awake in bed, puzzling over the mystery letter. Every time she closed her eyes, she was faced with the image of it, as though it had been seared into her brain. Finally, after a while of tossing and turning, she got out of bed with a groan and turned on the lamp that rested on her nightstand. Delta, alerted by the noise she was making, rose into the air.

"Jade? What's wrong?"

Jade shook her head. "Nothing. Just couldn't sleep, that's all."

"It's that letter, isn't it?" Delta's tone was sympathetic.

Jade sighed. Her Ghost knew her so well. "Yes… I just- what if Kaedro really _did _see that handwriting before."

Delta nodded understandingly. "I see why you're interested… If Kaedro recognized it, that would mean it came from someone he'd met after becoming a Guardian... You think you might be able to find them." Jade nodded. Delta sighed resignedly. "I can search the database for a match, but it will take a while."

"You'd do that?" The Ghost nodded. Jade smiled. "Thanks, Delta. You're the best… How long do you think it'll take?"

"A week maybe. Two at the most."

"A week." Jade nodded to herself. "I can wait another week."


	2. Match

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The handwriting from both letters matches a scouting report that came in from the Plaguelands. It was signed by none other than Cayde-6!”   
Jade and Kaedro spoke in unison. “Cayde?!”

Jade sighed as she trudged along one of the many rocky slopes of the Cosmodrome. "Are you _sure_ you haven't found anything yet?"

Delta sighed. "There's a lot more to sift through than I thought."

Jade sighed again but knew that pushing Delta wouldn't help her locate the data faster. She'd never been more thankful for her Ghost's patient nature. _I would have definitely snapped at myself by now._ The wind whipped around her, causing her to shiver, even though her armor was well-insulated. It was a gloomy day in the Cosmodrome. Not even Fallen patrols seemed to be out much. _I guess no one likes bad weather. Not even aliens._ She was distracted from her thoughts by the sight of something flapping in the doorway of a rusty shed. As she approached, she could see that it was another piece of paper, caught between a rock and the shed wall. She bent down and carefully extracted it. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"It's the same handwriting!"

"What?" said Delta.

"I found another letter!" said Jade excitedly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! It's the _same _handwriting."

"Shall I transmat back to the ship? ...I assume you'd rather read the letter than continue your patrol."

"Yes, please."

Delta sighed but activated the transmat. Soon Jade was seated in the cockpit of her ship. "Bazzle won't be happy that you're cutting your patrol short."

"I know, but there wasn't much happening anyway." Jade held the letter next to one of the interior lights. "Look! This one mentions Ace too!" She cleared her throat. "'_...Here's the truth, Ace. I don't remember you. Found your name in a journal I had on me when my Ghost rezzed me. I guess I used to write to you? And I kept doing it. Even though you're long dead, if you ever really existed. Just liked having someone to write to, I guess. So there you have it. Now, you'll never guess what happened today, Ace…'_" Jade shook her head in disappointment. "This one's in as bad condition as the first one... I can't read anything past that."

"Hmm… At least it gives us more clues," said Delta, "For instance, now we know that whoever wrote the letters was a Guardian."

"...You're right! He mentioned being revived by a Ghost."

"He also appears to have suffered from some type of retrograde amnesia. But that's understandable, Guardians don't typically remember much from before their revival."

"Yeah… Is there a way you could use this sample to speed up your search?"

Delta hummed to herself. "I think so. It helps to know that it was written by a Guardian. This should narrow the search."

"Great. I'm going to launch for the Tower. I promised I'd keep Kaedro updated."

* * *

"And you found this one in the Cosmodrome too?"

"Yes. Why? Does that mean something?"

The Exo's tone was thoughtful. "It could. Probably not but it _could_."

Jade nodded. "Delta's searching the database for a handwriting match."

"You're trying to find out who wrote it?"

"Yeah. Do you have a...problem with it?"

"Nah, nothing like that. Just be sure to tell me once you find out. I _know_ I've seen that handwriting somewhere and it's killing me 'cause I can't remember where."

"I know how you feel…"

Kaedro put down the letter and both Guardians went back to eating. After a few minutes of silence, Jade spoke up again. "Have you heard from any of the others?"

"'Course."

"Oh. What are they up to?"

Kaedro shrugged. "Rogue's in the Crucible most of the time, 'cept when Bazzle needs him for patrols. I think Fyr went in with him yesterday."

Jade winced. "How did that go?"

Kaedro laughed. "Not sure but Shaxx sounded more entertained than I've heard in a while."

Jade nodded, a smile on her face. "I can imagine. What about Rae and Harley?"

"Rae's been out for a while. She's been helping Zavala set up something he calls the 'Nightfall program.' Ace...has been kinda off the radar. Last I heard, he was out at the Reef trying to track down leads on Prince Uldren."

Jade was about to ask more questions, but Delta cut her off. "I've found a match!" Jade and Kaedro both turned to look at her. "The handwriting from both letters matches a scouting report that came in from the Plaguelands. It was signed by none other than Cayde-6!"

Jade and Kaedro spoke in unison. "_Cayde_?!"

"Yep!"

Kaedro whistled. "So you're telling me that Cayde wrote those letters?"

"The handwriting is a 94.6% match."

Jade sat in silence, not sure how to react. "I can't believe it…"

"You're telling _me_… I swear to Light I've never seen him write in any kind of journal… What're you gonna do about it?"

Jade shrugged helplessly. "I was planning to find whoever wrote it and ask them about it. But now that I know it's _Cayde_… I mean, he's one of my _bosses_!"

Kaedro was silent for a moment. "I'll tell you what," he said finally, "Why don't we let this be for a couple of weeks and see where things go? It'd be better to sleep on this sort of thing."

Jade nodded. "I agree... This is going to take a while to come to terms with."

Throughout the next week, Jade attempted to banish the letters from her mind. But they continued to linger in the background, an ever-nagging riddle that had yet to be solved. One day, she decided she'd take them into the City to see if she could get an idea on when they might've been written. That's why in the midafternoon, she found herself entering a small, dimly lit shop. The old man who ran it was supposedly an expert in historical documents. As she looked around, she took note of several framed papers on the walls that looked impossibly old and worn. She stepped closer to try and decipher what they might be when a floorboard creaked behind her. She whirled around, hand flying to her holster, but relaxed when she saw it was just the shop owner.

"Hello," she said.

He nodded at her, bowing his wizened head. "Good afternoon, madam… I see you were admiring some of my artifacts."

"Yes. Um, what are they, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Pre-Golden Age documents," he said proudly. He motioned to the nearest one. "Here, for example, we have the Declaration of Independence."

Jade's eyes widened. "What? But that was old _before_ the Golden Age."

"Yes. Centuries old, in fact. I was hard-pressed to get my hands on it."

"How _did_ you? How did it even survive the Collapse?"

He pursed his lips. "That is not a story for now, I think. But is there something I can help you with?"

"Oh. Yes, there is." Jade withdrew the papers from her robes. "I came across these in the Cosmodrome and I was wondering how old they were."

The man put on a pair of reading glasses and took the letters from her, holding them up to a desk lamp. "Hmm. The Cosmodrome, you say? Forgive me for asking, but you wouldn't happen to be a Guardian by any chance, would you?"

"Actually, yes. I am."

He nodded. "...Incredible, isn't it, to think that in a way, you are an artifact _yourself_."

"I've never thought about it like that...but I suppose you're right."

"Yes, well, at any rate, these documents are quite fascinating. They appear to be at least a century old_._ No estimate is too high when Guardians are concerned. Of course, exposure to the elements causes them to appear older than they likely are but you can be sure they weren't written recently by any means." He handed the papers back to her. "There's not much more to gather from these, but don't hesitate to come to me if you have any questions or if you find anything more concerning them."

Jade nodded. "Thank you for your help. I'll be sure to come back if I find anything else." With that, she bid him farewell and began making her way back to the Tower, thinking that her chances of finding a _third_ letter were virtually nonexistent. How very wrong she was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story so far. The first chapter of story 5 is also going up today. I highly recommend reading both stories since they take place at the same time.


	3. Puzzle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The most significant piece of the puzzle is uncovered and part of the truth is revealed.

Jade was crouching behind a rock, watching the Fallen patrol group she'd been sent after when something flew by. It was nothing more than a flicker on the edge of her peripheral vision, but she turned to look, nearly dropping her gun in shock. A piece of paper had drifted by. She turned and felt a surge of panic. The wind was blowing the paper directly toward a sheer cliff! Her mission forgotten, she scrambled to her feet and took off after the paper, ignoring Delta's warnings. Just as the paper was about to go over the edge, Jade launched into a dive in one last-ditch effort. She grinned in triumph as she felt her left hand close on the paper but her grin was soon turned into a gasp of terror as her momentum caused her legs to swing around and slide over the edge. She frantically clawed at the rock, feeling herself losing ground. Luckily, she managed to get a hold with her right hand, her arm jerked as she stopped her fall. For a good six seconds, she dangled over the edge, legs swinging in the empty air. Then, all of a sudden, she was back in her ship with Delta next to her. Her heart pounded loud in her ears for a few moments before it finally began to slow along with her breathing.

"Are you okay?" asked Delta.

She nodded and pulled off her helmet. "I'm fine."

"That was foolish of you," her Ghost chided gently, "Risking your life for a piece of paper?"

Jade shot her a look. "You _know_ why I did that, Delta."

Delta sighed. "Yes, I do. Unfortunately… Was it worth it?"

Jade shrugged. "Let's find out."

Delta shook her head. "Not now. First, we're getting you back to the Tower."

Jade sighed but knew there was no point in disagreeing. "Fine. I suppose Kaedro will want to hear about it anyway."

* * *

"You risked your life for a piece of _trash_?"

"It wasn't trash!" said Jade defensively.

"_I_ know that but _you_ didn't and that's my point."

"I already found two pages. Finding a third one wasn't much of a stretch."

Kaedro shook his head. "Warlocks… So what's it say?"

Jade shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't read it yet."

"Well, what the hell're you waiting for? The Dawning?"

Jade shot him an empty glare. "I was waiting for _you_, but if you're going to be ungrateful about it then-"

"Alright alright!" Kaedro held up his hands. "I surrender! Just read the thing before our Ghosts have to save us from old age."

Jade cleared her throat and smoothed out the letter. "'_...so there you have it, Ace, that's why I did what I did. I had no choice, really. It was that or the great beyond. Just know-'_" Jade paused, staring at the words she was about to read. She looked at Kaedro, who made a rolling motion with his hand. "...'_Just know your dad did what he had to do if I ever wanted to see you and your mother again… You probably won't recognize me, since I'll be, well, a robot and all, but I'll find you, I promise…'_" The room was dead silent as the two Guardians processed what they had just heard.

"..._Shit_," said Kaedro.

Jade put her head into her hands. "My God…"

"Might we be of any help?" She looked up. Jyn and Delta were hovering next to them.

"...We're fine," she said, "It's just...shocking."

Kaedro shook his head. "I had no idea…"

"That Cayde had a son?"

"Well _yeah_. Or that he used to be _human_."

"So not all Exos started as humans?"

He shook his head again. "I didn't know a human could _become_ an Exo."

"I did," said Jyn. He turned to stare at her. "Bits and pieces from old records mention humans traveling to Europa to become Exos."

"But...why?"

"I guess for the reasons in the letter," said Jade, "They didn't want to die. They could have been terminally ill or something."

"During the Golden Age?"

Jade shrugged. "Humans evolve. So do diseases."

"Whatever. We still don't know who 'Ace' was."

"His son."

The Exo rolled his eyes. "I know _that._ But do you think there's any record of him?"

"Probably not," said Jyn, "After all, there was no record of Cayde having been human."

"We could _ask_ him," suggested Delta.

"Ask _Cayde_?" Kaedro was incredulous. "That's a _horrible_ idea. How d'you think that conversation would go? 'Hey Cayde, I brought back those reports you wanted. Oh and by the way, did you have a son named Ace at one point?'"

Jade nodded. "I'm not comfortable enough around him to ask him about something so personal. I mean, we read his letters, but now that we know it's him, it seems...invasive."

Kaedro nodded. "I've known the guy for years and I wouldn't hesitate to call us friends. But even _I_ wouldn't be comfortable asking that."

"Well, we'll have to figure out _some_ way."

"Why? Why do we have to take this any further than it's already gone? Why can't you just let it go?"

Jade sighed. "I wanted to pursue this to the end...but maybe you're right. There's no way we could ask him about it without being extremely out of line."

"So we agree? We drop it for now?"

Jade nodded. "We drop it for now."

"Good." Kaedro sounded relieved. "The last thing we need is for there to be more drama... On that note, don't leave those anywhere Cayde might see them. Ace either, just to be sure."

"Don't worry. I'll keep them in my quarters."

"Alright, then I guess that's done…" Kaedro pushed back his chair and stood up. "I think I'm gonna turn in for the night... Catch you later."

"Goodnight, Kaedro."

The next day, both Guardians were out of the Tower, each on their own mission. They may have been confident that the letters wouldn't come up again. After all, out of sight, out of mind. However, certain things tend to have a way of declaring themselves, especially when some would rather them not get out.

* * *

Cayde had been having a fairly normal day up until now. He'd looked at the latest reports, teased his coworkers, and overall tried in vain not to get bored. Then all of a sudden, any semblance of normalcy had gone out the door. He stared at the pages in front of him in shock. They were well-worn and most of the words had faded, but everything he was able to read brought its own wave of disbelief. It was weird enough to see your own handwriting on documents that were decades old, but it was another thing entirely to not remember writing them in the first place. Cayde could tell with one glance that they'd been written by him, despite having lost the journal they'd been a part of. He vaguely registered Ikora dismissing the kid that had brought them in the background.

While the first document was the most straightforward, his gaze was stuck on one particular word. 'Ace.' Common sense told him that 'Ace' could be referring to anyone. And yet, his mind kept jumping back to Harley. _But it makes no sense_, he thought, _How could I've written to the kid if I hadn't met him?_ The rest of the document was a warning about the Reefborn Awoken and as Cayde read it back, he couldn't help but agree with the sentiment again. He set the page down to look at the next one. This one also mentioned 'Ace' and how Cayde couldn't remember him. That was interesting. Apparently, he used to know someone named Ace. Someone from way back in his past, judging by the 'long-dead' statement. He set it down as well, looking at the last one. The first few statements didn't make much sense, although 'no choice' and 'great beyond' didn't bode well for whatever followed. Then he got to the next part. '_Just know your dad did what he had to do if I ever wanted to see you and your mother again…'_

"Holy _shit_!"

Cayde couldn't even begin to comprehend what he'd just read. _I had a wife?! And a _son_?!_ The thought that he had once been human threw him for one hell of a loop. Cayde was an Exo. He'd been an Exo for as long as he could remember, which apparently didn't mean as much as it used to. But the thought that he was once something other than an Exo was...it was world-shattering. He dropped the page on the table with the others and backed away from it, as though he could forget what he'd seen by distancing himself physically. Zavala and Ikora watched him with concern.

"Cayde?" asked Ikora, "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah," said Cayde weakly. He cleared his throat. "Yeah," he said with more conviction, "I'm fine I just...I need a minute." And with that, he turned and all but fled from the room.

He was well aware that the other Vanguard would undoubtedly read the papers if only to find out why he'd reacted the way he had. But Cayde couldn't find it in himself to care, being entirely preoccupied with the situation at hand. He vaguely remembered owning a journal at one point but by then, it had become nothing much more than just another item in a sea of knickknacks. Now he made his way towards his quarters determinedly. While those 3 papers had revealed a great many things to him, one thing was particularly clear: he had to find that journal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've reached the halfway point. This story is super short compared to my others. Those of you reading Rewrite the Stars at the same time will see the overlap ;)


	4. Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I didn't even know until two days ago… I had a son too, y'know." He scanned the page. "His name was…" He trailed off. "That's not possible..."

Cayde was on his second day of turning his quarters upside down when he got a visitor. Being in the middle of digging through some old boxes, he called over his shoulder for whoever it was to come in. Ikora stepped into the space, glancing around before her gaze settled on him.

"Cayde," she said in greeting.

Cayde had his back to her, but he could still hear the sympathetic tone in her voice and he wouldn't have it. "What's up?"

"I think we need to talk."

"...There's nothin' to talk about."

Ikora scoffed. "Please, do you really think we're that stupid? We read those papers-"

"Then you know there's no way in hell I can let this go," said Cayde, straightening up and turning to face her. "Tell me, Ikora...if _you_ suddenly found out you had a kid, would you be able to just move on with your life like nothin' happened?"

Ikora sighed. "You're right… If it were me, I would be doing exactly the same thing. Just...don't let this consume you."

Cayde nodded. "Sure thing. Now if you'll excuse me, I got some memories to uncover."

Ikora nodded once, then turned and made her exit. Cayde delved into the box once more, intent on resuming his search when his Ghost spoke up.

"Do you really think you're going to find anything like this?"

"I've been on this two days, Sundance," said Cayde, "The damn thing's bound to turn up soon."

"I always said you should keep better track of your things."

"Yeah, yeah. Y'know, you could be _helping_ me find it."

Sundance sighed. "I suppose… Well, you've checked all the obvious places. What about your…'less obvious' ones?"

Cayde stood up, shaking his finger. "Now that's not a bad idea…"

He had tons of discrete hiding places for his stuff throughout his quarters. He checked through several, coming up empty each time.

"What about your floor safe?" said Sundance.

"_That_ one? Haven't used that since before I was a Vanguard." He shrugged. "Guess it's worth a look." He flipped the hidden switch that retracted a section of floorboards near his bed to reveal the safe. He groaned. "Forgot the thing had a combo lock. Any chance you remember what it was?"

Sundance lifted the sides of her shell in a shrug. "Maybe you have it written down somewhere? Or you could try guessing?"

Cayde considered the idea for a moment before shaking his head. "Screw that."

He pulled out his gun and shot the lock off, jumping as the bullet zinged off the metal. Then he holstered the gun and knelt down to open the safe. He dug through it, finding a few odds and ends before pulling out a ratty leather-bound book.

"Huzzah!"

"I don't even want to _guess_ how long that was locked in there," said Sundance.

Cayde shrugged. "Long enough that I forgot about it."

"Right," said his Ghost dryly, "Like _that's_ an achievement."

"...Shut it." He sighed. "Let's see what's in this thing…"

The journal was weatherbeaten and worn down and Cayde was honestly surprised he was able to glean anything from it, considering how old it was. Nonetheless, he was able to gather that he'd lived his first life during the Golden Age, apparently having been some kind of soldier. He read carefully for a few minutes before finally finding a mention of his family.

"Her name was Lara…" he said.

"What?" said Sundance.

"My...wife. Her name was Lara."

"Oh," said the Ghost quietly, "I can't believe I never knew you had a wife."

"_I_ didn't even know until two days ago… I had a son too, y'know." He scanned the page. "His name was…" He trailed off. "That's not possible..."

"What is it?" asked Sundance, moving closer.

"Harley…" Cayde whispered.

Sundance was silent for a moment. "How do you know it's him?" she asked finally, "It could be _any_ Harley."

"A Harley that goes by Ace?! Tell me _that's_ a coincidence."

"It could be," said his Ghost, "There's no way to tell for sure. Does it say _why_ you nicknamed him Ace?"

Cayde flipped through the journal. "...I, uh, used to play cards with him...and he'd somehow manage to get the aces almost every time. But he'd always give me the Ace of Spades 'cause he knew it was my favorite."

"...That is adorable. And now I know where your gun's name came from. But more importantly, there's _no _way Harley's friends call him Ace for the same reason."

"You're right," Cayde realized, "So...why _do_ they call him Ace?"

Sundance shrugged. "You could ask them."

Cayde nodded. "Good idea… I think I'll send Kay a message." He set the journal down to type into his wrist interface. _K, question for u. Y do u guys call harley 'ace'?_

"...Your text speak is atrocious." Cayde looked up to find Sundance reading over his shoulder. "You sound like a twelve-year-old girl."

"Rude." He looked down. "He's typing!"

"And my statement stands," said his Ghost.

"He said: 'idk Rae started it.'" Cayde huffed in annoyance. "Now I gotta talk to a Warlock. The things I go through…"

"Might I remind you that you're doing this entirely by choice for yourself?"

"True." He started typing again. _Korrin. Where'd harley's nickname come from?_ A few moments later, he got a reply. "'Who the hell is this and why do you care?' ...Maybe Warlocks aren't so bad after all." _Only the best-looking vanguard, aka cayde & i wanna know cuz im curious. _The reply came pretty soon after. _Don't know why you're texting _me _but he has a tattoo of the Ace of Spades on his wrist. That's why._ Cayde suddenly felt cold. "A tattoo."

"...He could have gotten it because he liked the way it looked?" Sundance offered.

"No. Kid like Harley only gets a tattoo if there's some kinda meaning attached to it..." He picked up the journal and began to flip through it furiously.

"Cayde, I think you're making mountains out of molehills here. Apart from a couple of strange coincidences, there's no substantial evidence to suggest-"

"Oh yeah? How's _this_ for 'substantial evidence?'"

Cayde held up the journal, revealing an old photograph that had been preserved between its pages. The photo looked fragile and faded, but it clearly depicted two figures, a woman and her son smiling for the camera. The woman had long dark hair and blue eyes but Sundance ignored her in favor of the kid. She studied his tousled hair and green eyes and knew without a doubt that she was looking at a young Harley Hayden. Cayde set the journal down and pressed his hands to his face. There was a long moment in which neither spoke. Then Cayde groaned into his hands before lowering them to look at his Ghost.

"What am I supposed to do? How the hell do I react to this, Sundance?"

"Um, don't...panic?"

"How can I _not_?! In the past few days, I've not only learned that I used to be _human_, but that I have a son and that son is _Harley_!"

"I don't know what you should do," she said hopelessly, "I doubt there's ever been a situation like this."

"Yeah. And y'know what makes it _worse?_ That friggin' kid's had to deal with some of the most messed up shit the galaxy had to throw at him! Not only am I a _parent_, but I'm a _terrible_ parent!"

"Cayde, you can't go beating yourself up over this," said Sundance, "You need to calm down and deal with this like an adult."

Cayde gave a heavy sigh, then got to his feet. "Fine." He bent down to pick up the journal. Then he crossed the room and rummaged through a desk drawer, withdrawing a lighter.

"Whoa! What are you doing?!"

"I'm burnin' it," said Cayde. "When I said deal with it, this is _not_ what I meant. Why would you burn it?"

"'Cause I don't _need_ it," said Cayde harshly, "All it is is a reminder of all the horrible stuff that's happened to me. And yeah, there _is_ some good stuff in there too. But I got that up here now," he tapped the side of his head, "So I don't need this thing anymore."

"But...your memories."

"Memories of what? Of how I used to be so swamped in debt that I left my son, my _family_ to get rid of it? Of all the people I lost?" He shook his head. "No thanks." He ignited the lighter and held the flame up to the journal. But then he paused and leafed through the pages to take the photo out. "I'm keepin' this, though." He glanced at it before folding it in half and tucking it into a pouch on his belt. But just as he was about to set the flame to the journal, Sundance broke in again.

"Cayde, just listen to me here… Don't you think you're being a bit rash? If you don't want to look at it, just lock it back up."

Cayde looked between the journal and the flame for several seconds before he flicked the lighter closed and dropped the book on a nearby table with a sigh. "Fine then," he said, "...Guess I should be gettin' back." He opened the door, holding it for his Ghost before following her out.

"You know Zavala and Ikora are going to want to know what you found, right?"

He sighed. "I figured, yeah."

"What are you going to tell them?"

He shrugged. "Whatever I feel like."

"How very specific."

"The real problem is Harley. How the hell am I supposed to interact with him now?"

Sundance sighed. "At the very least, you have some time to figure it out."

* * *

Jade was eating with Kaedro in the dining hall when all of a sudden, the Exo looked up and said, "Y'know, Cayde texted me while I was in the field today."

Jade's eyebrows shot up. "Really? About what?"

"He was asking why we called Harley 'Ace.'"

Jade pursed her lips. "Did he tell you why?"

Kaedro shook his head. "No. It was pretty outta the blue."

"Hmm… I hope this doesn't have anything to do with those letter fragments…"

"You think he found them?"

"I don't know how he could have...but it isn't outside the realm of possibilities." Truthfully, she was more than a little worried that this _was_ the case. _What would happen if Cayde found them?_ She wondered. He'd know who'd written it. How could he not? The Ace part was what mattered. Jade knew it was a long shot that Harley was the one Cayde had been writing to but how could they be sure one way or another? "Is Harley still out at the Reef?"

"Actually, he was headed to Mars, last I heard…"

"Why?"

"Something about looking for Uldren."

"Uldren Sov? Still? But I thought Harley hated him."

"Oh yeah. He does. But there were rumors of Uldren's ship crashing on Mars after the attack on the Dreadnaught… Ace feels like he owes it to the Queen to find her brother."

"Did the Vanguard sanction it?"

"He didn't really tell them about it at first. But he wasn't hiding it either. Turns out, they were interested in Uldren's possible survival as well so Ace's been reporting to them."

Jade nodded. "Do you know when he'll be back?"

"Well, depending on whether he finds anything, he could be back as early as tomorrow."


	5. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cayde struggles with whether he should keep the revelation a secret or talk to Harley about it.

Harley yawned as he made his way out of the Hangar towards the Hall of Guardians. His time spent on Mars had left him both sore and dusty. He wanted nothing more than to take a shower and relax, but he knew that before any of that could happen, he had to report to the Vanguard. He cracked his neck as he stepped into the Hall. He hadn't gotten far when he was hailed by Lord Shaxx.

"Hayden! Welcome back!" The Titan gave him a friendly pound on the back, sending up a puff of dust. Harley smiled tiredly.

"Hey, Shaxx. How were things around here while I was gone?"

"You were sorely missed in the Crucible," said Shaxx.

Harley laughed. "I've only been in there once."

"Maybe, but it was a day to remember... Someday soon, we'll have to get you back in there to show those rookies a thing or two."

"Rookies? Have there been new Guardians?"

"Any Guardian new to the Crucible is a rookie in my book. But a few have popped up since you defeated Oryx."

"Don't remind me… I wasn't much help in that fight."

"Your team tells me differently." Shaxx chuckled. "I've heard that people in the City refer to you as 'Godslayer,' Hayden."

Harley's face reddened. "I'd rather they didn't. It's bad enough getting called Crota's End. Does no one realize both of those were team efforts?"

Shaxx shrugged. "People tend to romanticize. Even Guardians. _Especially _Guardians, in fact… But remember, if you ever feel like getting away from all that, the Crucible is open to you... In there, your name will be cursed instead of praised."

Harley laughed. "I don't know about that...but thanks. I'll see you later, Shaxx."

"Till next time, Hayden."

Harley continued on, entering the Vanguard's room. He was a bit taken aback when instead of smiles and greetings, the Vanguard all regarded him with slightly odd looks, as though he were a stranger. And none of their reactions were odder than Cayde's. The Hunter Vanguard couldn't seem to look him in the eye. Harley hoped he didn't look as confused as he felt when he approached the table.

"Welcome back, Hayden," said Zavala.

Harley frowned at the odd tone in the Commander's voice. "Um, thanks, sir…" He cleared his throat. "I've come to give my report."

Zavala nodded. "Yes. Continue."

"Well, since last time, I've been searching for Uldren on Mars. I checked everywhere he could've conceivably crashed, but I didn't find any trace of him anywhere."

"I see…" said Zavala, "Then it is possible that he didn't survive the attack?"

"I'd say it's very likely," said Harley, "But...it's also possible that I missed something. I guess if he ever turns up, we'll have our answer."

"Very well," said the Titan, "That being the case, I believe we can call this case closed."

"I agree," said Ikora, "And after all, we can always return to it if new evidence arises." Harley nodded. "I'm sure you'd appreciate a night's rest, Harley."

Harley nodded again. "Yes, very much."

Ikora gave a small smile. "Then you are dismissed. Goodnight, Harley."

"Goodnight."

With that, Harley made his exit, but not before shooting one more look at Cayde. As he crossed the plaza, he mentioned the Vanguard's behavior to Prism. "You notice anything weird about them?" he asked.

"I wasn't paying very close attention," his Ghost admitted, "But now that I'm thinking about it, Cayde seemed unusually quiet."

"Yeah. He wouldn't make eye contact with me either," said Harley. He gave a slight shiver. "I don't like it… It reminds me of when they thought I was Osiris." Prism looked down. She still harbored guilt about that particular incident. "Well, all I can say is I hope they haven't started to think I'm Toland the Shattered," Harley joked.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll pass," said Prism.

Harley sighed. "I hope so…"

* * *

Cayde felt like smacking himself in the forehead. The only reason he didn't was that it wasn't worth the looks he'd get from Zavala and Ikora. But he felt like doing it all the same. _Guess I was overdue for my next moment of monumental idiocy,_ he thought. He'd known there was a chance that Harley would return today. He thought he'd be ready to treat the kid normally if it happened. Instead, he'd stared at his boots the entire time to avoid the Hunter's gaze and he hadn't spoken to him at all. _Now I understand how I ended up in so much debt. _He saw Zavala shooting him a strange look and sighed.

"Well don't leave me hangin' guys. I know you're itchin' to ask how I can be an _Exo _and still have a worse poker face than Fyr Allerton."

Ikora sighed. "We won't pretend to know what you're going through, Cayde."

"_Thank_ you."

"But," she fixed him with a stare, "you need to decide what to do about it. You can't ignore Harley forever. It isn't fair to him _or _to you."

Cayde sighed. "I figured you'd say somethin' like that..." He looked at Zavala. "You got anything to add?"

The Titan sighed. "In this matter, all I can advise is that you think before you act. You won't be the only one affected by this. But...I trust you to make the right decision."

Cayde was more than a bit taken aback at Zavala's words. The idea that the Vanguard Commander trusted his judgment gave him a warm feeling in his chest. But it also drove home how delicately the situation needed to be handled. If this broke the wrong way, who knew what the consequences would be? He had to decide now how he wanted this to go. Should he tell the kid? Or should he bury the truth and forget he ever learned it?

Telling Harley would make things extremely awkward between them. After all, Cayde knew how he'd react if _he_ were in Harley's place. He could think of more than enough reasons to keep it hidden. However, he wasn't completely sure that it was what he wanted. While there were, in fact, many things and people Cayde would make sacrifices for, there were also times where he couldn't help being a tad bit selfish. And right now, that part of him wanted to tell Harley. He wanted to, in some small way, make up for the hell that the kid had to live through by being there for him. It _would_ be awkward, sure, but that wouldn't last forever. The more Cayde thought about it, the more he wanted it to happen. He looked over at Zavala and Ikora.

"Y'know, I think I might just tell him."

Zavala nodded. "The choice is yours. However, if this does not end well, be aware that your professional relationship with him cannot be jeopardized. As one of the Vanguard, you could not just ignore him."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. Trust me, Zav... I got this."

Later that night, Cayde let out a loud groan as he rested his face in his hands. "I so do _not_ got this," he muttered.

"You brought it on yourself," said his Ghost unsympathetically, "You could have chosen not to tell him."

"Yeah and what? End up feelin' _worse_?" He scoffed. "No thanks."

"Well, then you can't complain about how hard it is for you to tell him."

"Uh, I reserve the right to complain as much as I want... 'Sides if _you're_ such an expert, _how_ should I tell him?"

"Well for starters, you need to just go for it," said Sundance, "The longer you wait, the harder it'll be to do it. My advice: next time you see Harley, pull him aside. It'll be easier in the long run."

Cayde sighed but nodded reluctantly. "Alright, fine… We'll do it your way. Next time I see him, I'll tell him." _Let's just hope I don't see him too soon…_

* * *

Jade was deeply absorbed in her book when she heard someone sit down across from her. "Hi, Ka-" She looked up. It was not Kaedro she saw across the table, but Harley. "Oh! Hi Harley."

Harley chuckled. "Hey, Jade… So you've been hanging out with Kay a lot, I take it?"

Jade closed her book and set it on the table, shrugging. "I don't know. He's just been around more, I guess. I mean, he stayed when the others went to help Lord Saladin and he was here when you-" Her eyes widened and she cut herself off before she could finish the thought. "Um...yeah."

Harley had a slightly pained look on his face that he was clearly trying to hide. Jade pressed her lips together, feeling terrible for bringing up Phobos. She decided to change the subject.

"Anyway, it feels like I haven't seen you in weeks! How was your mission?"

Harley seemed relieved at the shift of focus. "It was kinda nice to be doing something low-profile for a change." He sighed. "I didn't get any new leads on Uldren, though."

"Right. I wanted to ask you about that… If you hated him, why were you looking for him?"

Harley sighed again. "I dunno, y'know? I guess I felt guilty somehow. For what happened to the Awoken, I mean. And the Queen really did help me, so looking for her brother...it felt like I was repaying her in some way."

Jade nodded. "That's what Kaedro said."

Harley nodded. "Yeah. Where is he anyway? Feels like I haven't seen any of you guys in forever."

"He's around somewhere. A few of the others meet up in the Crucible once in a while."

"Huh… Maybe I'll join them tomorrow." He smiled. "Shaxx wanted to get me back in to set an example for the rookies… Speaking of which, have more Guardians been around lately?"

"Yes, actually. With the shakeup of the Taken War, more have been dropping in. Some have even been staying."

"That's great! ...Listen, I'm gonna head back to my room and get some rest, but why don't you come with me to the Crucible tomorrow?"

Jade was taken aback. "Um, sure, but I haven't ever...played before."

He waved her off. "You'll be fine. I'll meet you in the plaza tomorrow and we can go together but I'll probably drop by the Vanguard first to see if they need me for anything."

Jade nodded. "Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow."

Harley rose from his seat. "'Night, Jade." And with one last smile, he turned and made his way out of the dining hall.


	6. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harley and Cayde have a conversation.

Harley strolled into the Hall of Guardians the next day intending to be in and out as fast as possible.

"Good morning Hayden," said Shaxx as he passed.

"Morning Shaxx," replied Harley, "Jade and I are planning to join up in the Crucible today."

"Splendid! I'll see you out there!"

Harley smiled, descending the last flight of stairs into the Vanguard room. Instantly he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. Something was up. He wasn't sure why or how he knew, but a strange atmosphere permeated the room. He looked at the Vanguard. Zavala and Ikora appeared to be watching him with expressions that were expectant yet wary at the same time. An uneasy feeling settled in his stomach as he tried to figure out what those looks meant. He shot a look at Cayde. The Hunter Vanguard seemed incredibly wound up. _What's going on here?_ he wondered.

"Hayden," said Zavala with a nod, "What brings you here?"

"...I was just going to ask if you needed me for anything today."

The Titan shook his head. "Not as of right now. As I see it, you've earned some time off." Ikora nodded in agreement.

"Ok," said Harley, "Thanks… Well...I'll be in the Crucible then." He turned to leave, but he was stopped before he could make his exit.

"Harley, wait!" said Cayde.

Harley turned back to face the Hunter Vanguard. "What's up?"

Cayde seemed even more tense than before. "Nothin', nothin'. Just, before you go...could I, uh, talk to ya for a sec?"

Harley was confused. What could Cayde possibly want to talk about? "Sure?"

"Alright. Let's, ah, go somewhere more private." Cayde started heading for the stairs.

Harley took a few steps after him, then shot a look back at the other Vanguard. Strangely enough, neither of them seemed to be protesting. _I guess they agree with whatever Cayde's doing._ He turned back and followed the Hunter Vanguard out to the plaza. But Cayde didn't stop there. He turned and walked up past Xander into the Traveler's Walk. Harley followed, feeling very bewildered. Cayde stopped at the railing that looked over the wilderness on the other side of the Wall. Harley came to a stop next to him.

"What's going on, Cayde?"

Cayde sighed. "Look, A-_Harley_… Lately, I've, well...made a few discoveries and I- you deserve to know about them."

"What? Why?"

"'Cause they're, uh, about...you."

Harley was still extremely confused, but now he was also starting to feel concerned. What could Cayde have found out that involved _him_? "O...kay?"

"Damn, this is a lot harder than I thought it'd be…" Cayde muttered.

"Maybe if you start...at the beginning?" Cayde's behavior was starting to seriously weird him out.

The Vanguard took a deep breath. "Ok. You're right. The beginning… So, recently, these pages came to...came to light, uh, from this journal I used to have."

"Journal?"

"Yeah. I had this journal on me when I was revived and I used to write in it. But that's not important right now. Anyway, I forgot about the journal and, well, everything in it for...reasons. But then these pages turned up a couple days ago."

"Pages from the journal."

"Yeah. So I read 'em, not expectin' anything too fantastic... Y'know, it's just a buncha stuff from my life so why should I think it's gonna turn into anything huge?"

Harley nodded, still feeling more than a bit puzzled. "So what about them?"

"Hoo...ok. So I read 'em and basically, I found out that I...I used to be human."

"_What_?" This revelation was so far outside anything Harley had been expecting that he was caught completely off guard.

Cayde's fingers tapped against the metal railing. "Yeah. So apparently in the Golden Age humans could become Exos. But that's not all I found. See, when I was human, I...well...I had a wife."

"You used to be _married_?" said Harley, "...That's- that's a lot to find out from a journal."

"Yeah and that's still not all. 'Cause as it turns out...I, uh, had a son too."

"Holy _shit_… That is heavy. But...why are you telling _me_ all this?"

Cayde coughed. "Yeah, I'm...gettin' to that… I went and dug up the journal, see what else I could find out, and...there's no easy way to put this…"

For whatever reason, Harley felt a hint of dread at whatever the Vanguard was about to say. He wasn't sure _why_ exactly, but he couldn't shake the feeling. Cayde seemed to be psyching himself up. He took another deep breath and turned to meet Harley's eyes.

"His name was Harley."

Harley felt like someone had just ripped the floor out from under him. All he could do was stare at Cayde in shock. _He can't mean what I think he means, can he?_ He looked around, almost expecting someone to jump out and yell "Gotcha!" When nothing like that happened he turned back to Cayde.

"Well, I mean, I-I can't be the _only _Harley in the galaxy, can I?" He laughed nervously.

"That's what I thought too... 'Cept for the fact that I wrote to him as 'Ace' in my journal."

Harley rubbed his forehead. "So you mean…"

"Uh, yeah…"

"Oh for crying out loud!" said Cayde's Ghost in exasperation, "This moron's telling you that you're his son!"

"_Sundance_," hissed Cayde.

"What! That was painful to watch! I actually don't know how the connection wasn't made _sooner _between you two!"

Harley stuck both of his hands in his hair. "How is this possible?" he muttered to the sky.

Cayde snorted. "Preachin' to the choir, kid… I, uh, actually have the letters here, if you wanna read 'em."

Harley nodded wordlessly and watched as the Vanguard drew three pieces of paper from his belt and handed them to him. He scanned the papers, eyes widening. _How the hell did this happen?!_ _Since when was I the son of one of the _Vanguard_? _Since always, if the letters he held meant anything.

"I got this too," said Cayde, holding something else out.

Harley took it. It was an old photograph of surprisingly good quality. It showed a beautiful woman with dark hair and laughing blue eyes with her arms wrapped around a little kid. The kid's hair was golden blond and his eyes were a bright sparkling green. It was the weirdest feeling Harley had ever experienced. The kid in the photo was a complete stranger, yet he knew he was looking at himself as a child. _It must be even harder for Cayde,_ he realized. He handed the photo and letters back.

"Do you...do you have the journal with you?"

Cayde shook his head. "It's in my room."

"Oh," said Harley, "I just… I'd like to learn more about- about my past."

"If I may," said Prism, turning to Cayde, "How on Earth did you figure it out?"

Cayde sighed. "Before I found the photo, all I had to go off of was 'Ace' and 'Harley.' Obviously, I knew someone who fit both... But I had to be sure it wasn't a coincidence, so I asked Kay and Korrin why they called you Ace." He scoffed. "Not much to go on, but if it was anything less substantial, I woulda let it go."

Harley nodded, pushing up his sleeve. "It's because of this." He pointed to the Ace of Spades tattoo on his inner wrist.

"Yeah," said Cayde, "Wish I knew why you got it."

"I do too. But...I can't remember anything about my life before."

Cayde nodded. "I know the feelin'." He cleared his throat. "Anyway...I guess this is the part where I apologize for, well, for not being a very good parent."

Harley felt his face heat up. The idea that _Cayde_ was his father was extremely weird to think about. "You don't have to apologize…" he said.

"No, let's face it, kid. I acted like a coward during the whole 'Osiris' thing, I constantly send you on dangerous missions, and I've spent a lot of my time thinkin' you were dead from somethin' or other. Not to mention what happened with Oryx."

Harley shook his head. "None of that was your fault. I might be your...your _son_, but all those things were caused by my decisions. You shouldn't suddenly feel pressured to look after me. I _am_ an adult after all."

Cayde sighed. "I know… And from now on, one of my biggest regrets will always be not bein' there to see you grow up."

"...I wish I could remember you from before," said Harley, "And it's still gonna feel really weird for a while, getting used to the idea that you're my...father but I think I'm at least past the, um, initial shock of...it."

Cayde nodded. "It'll be weird for me too. To think that I have a _son_…" He chuckled in disbelief.

"Yeah." Harley gave another nervous laugh.

"Listen," said Cayde, "I know it's gonna take some time to warm up to the...idea. But...is a hug entirely out of the question?"

"I don't think so…" said Harley.

"Alright then... C'mere." Suddenly, Harley found himself wrapped in the Vanguard's embrace. He brought his arms up to return the hug. "Welcome back, Ace."

And with that, Harley knew that no matter how awkward it was going to be in the beginning, he was extremely glad that Cayde had found those letters. Now he would finally have the chance to experience something that had been missing before: having a family. He grinned into the other Hunter's shoulder and found himself saying words that he'd never dreamed he'd have the chance to say.

"Glad to be back, dad."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the last chapter of Bloodbound, if you can believe it! This story was actually inspired by one of my readers. Never hesitate to leave comments, guys! You never know what might become of them ;) 
> 
> I'll see y'all in the next chapter of Rewrite the Stars!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


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